1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to vehicle monitoring and messaging systems and, in particular, to a vehicle monitoring system and method capable of efficiently communicating a plurality of notification messages to warn users in advance of impending arrivals of vehicles.
2. Related Art
For at least the purposes of allowing advance preparation and scheduling, it would be desirable to know, in advance and with substantial accuracy, the expected arrival time of a mobile vehicle (for example but not limited to, a bus, truck, train, ship, plane, aircraft, etc.) at a particular location, such as a stop along a predefined route.
For example, consider a commercial bus station. A person picking up a friend or relative at the commercial bus station usually calls the bus station to find out the approximate arrival time (information which is oftentimes unavailable or inaccurate) and/or arrives at the bus station prior to the scheduled arrival time of the bus, hoping that the bus is not significantly delayed. With knowledge of accurate arrival information in advance, adjustments can be made to one""s schedule to avoid having to wait extended periods for a vehicle.
Another example involves school children that ride school buses. The arrival times of school buses at scheduled stops can be significantly affected by many factors, such as maintenance problems, rush hour traffic, congested urban/suburban conditions, adverse weather, etc. As a result, school children often wait at bus stops for long periods of time, sometimes in adverse weather conditions, on unlit street corners, or in hazardous conditions near busy or secluded streets. An advance notification system that would inform the students of the proximity of the school bus would be desirable, so that students can avoid having to wait for the school bus at the bus stop for extended time periods.
Yet another example involves the commercial overnight package delivery industry, wherein packages are often delivered on a tight schedule. Customers sometimes wait on delivery of important time-critical packages, not knowing precisely when the delivery will occur. An advance notification system that can inform a customer of the precise arrival time of a delivery vehicle would be desirable in order to improve customer service and to allow the customer to better schedule a pickup of a delivered item.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry for better systems, apparatuses, and methods for accurately tracking and/or reporting the status of mobile vehicles as the vehicles travel.
The present invention overcomes many inadequacies and deficiencies of the prior art, as discussed hereinbefore. In general, the present invention provides an automated system and method for monitoring travel of vehicles and for efficiently communicating notification messages to warn users of impending arrivals of the vehicles.
In a broad sense, the system of the present invention includes memory and logic. The memory stores data indicating when notification messages are scheduled for transmission to remote communications devices to warn users of impending arrivals of at least one vehicle. The logic is configured to determine that at least one of the notification messages is scheduled for transmission during a particular time period and to determine a number of notification messages that are scheduled for transmission during the particular time period. If the number exceeds a threshold number, the logic causes the one notification message to be transmitted prior to the time period.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the system also includes a sensor and a vehicle control unit disposed on the one vehicle. The sensor transmits location signals indicating the location of the one vehicle. The vehicle control unit transmits a message indicating whether the vehicle is off schedule based on the location signals. The logic is configured to update the data stored in the memory based on the message transmitted by the vehicle control unit.
The present invention can also be viewed as providing a method for notifying users of impending arrivals of vehicles. The method can be broadly conceptualized by the following steps: storing data indicating when notification messages are scheduled for transmission to remote communications devices; determining that at least one of the notification messages is scheduled for transmission during a particular time period; determining a number of the notification messages that are scheduled for transmission during the particular time period; comparing the number to a threshold number; changing when the one notification message is scheduled for transmission in response to a determination that the number exceeds the threshold number; and notifying one of the users of an impending arrival of a vehicle via the one notification message.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon examination of the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such features and advantages be included herein within the teachings of the present invention, as set forth herein and as sought to be protected by the claims.